The 2015 edition of Gleim EA Review is available now! If you’ve already purchased Gleim EA Review, contact us today to learn about upgrading to the new edition to save. The Gleim EA Review Course, featuring flexible yet structured study steps, is the only one of its kind on the entire market.

With Gleim, you’ll get mentorship and guidance from our team of Personal Counselors, who can be reached via phone or email, as well as the unique methodology of our study steps. Gleim is redefining the way you study!

Katherine K. is an EA exam (SEE) candidate. She is an experienced tax return preparer with six tax seasons under her belt, and she is looking forward to studying for the CPA exam after she earns her Enrolled Agent designation from the IRS.

Another study unit done! I am getting close to finishing Part 2, which has been a lot more work for me than Part 1. I had quite a bit of experience preparing individual tax returns, so that gave me an advantage.

“My name is Jonathan, and I am a chronic test taker.” I can imagine myself standing up and saying that at some meeting for examinees anonymous. I have already taken and passed the bar exam in more than one state, and now I’m taking the CPA exams.

I had an interview today with a multinational corporation for a tax analyst position. The head of the tax department asked me about my CPA studies, and I told him that I was using the Gleim system and am preparing for the BEC portion. He asked me what I thought about all of it. I realized that, despite the fact that it’s a lot of work and responsibility, I’m looking forward to taking this test. It means I will be that much closer to getting my CPA license. I don’t think I truly realized how much this meant to me until we talked. I have to say, it reinvigorated me. Every day when I sit down to study, I feel like I’m just trudging along. However, when I think about the reward that I’m going to get for my hard work, I remember why I went down this path.

Gleim is proud to welcome EA exam candidate, Dennis F., to the Gleim blog. Dennis, who is a CPA, is taking the EA exam to gain taxation knowledge which will help him during tax season.

Start preparing yourself for recruiting season. That’s right, if you want to work for a CPA firm, fall is the time to get recruited and now is the perfect time to start prepping your resume and selecting the firms you’d like to work for. The reason is simple; CPA firms are too busy in the spring with tax season to do any kind of recruiting, so they do it during the fall right after the September busy season ends. Although I have been through the recruiting process before, I definitely had a good step up last season over many others who wanted to get hired for 2015.

“My name is Jonathan, and I am a chronic test taker.” I can imagine myself standing up and saying that at some meeting for examinees anonymous. I have already taken and passed the bar exam in more than one state, and now I’m taking the CPA exams.

I finished all 20 study units in the book plus the online quizzes. It’s a lot of material, but practice makes perfect. I haven’t taken the exam yet, but I already feel a real sense of accomplishment. I still have more work to do though. I have been taking a lot of the practice quizzes and practice tests. The Gleim system allows you to select what study units you want to include and gives you the option to grade questions right away or at the end. To make the practice sessions as authentic as possible, I’m including all 20 study units.

Enrolled agents are people who are authorized by the U.S. Government to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. Enrolled agents are responsible for adhering to a code of ethics and professional conduct. They produce financial services to individuals and businesses that include tax preparation, representation, tax planning, and other similar services.

One way to become an enrolled agent is to pass all three parts of the Special Enrollment Exam. The IRS contracts with Prometric to develop and administer the SEE to ensure that candidates understand the professional competence and ethical judgment required to be an enrolled agent.

The Special Enrollment Exam is offered 10 months of the year from May 1st of the current year through the end of February of the following year (e.g., the current testing window is May 1, 2014, to February 28, 2015). The test is not offered during the annual blackout period in March and April. This blackout period coincides with the end of tax season (tax season is the time period each year between January 1st and April 15th). During this time, the exam is updated with any new or revised tax laws for the following testing window starting May 1st.

Passing the CIA exam confirms your professional work experience and determination. This translates into a higher salary, increased confidence and competence, and recognition as a member of an elite group of professionals; so starting your exam preparations and remaining focused until you pass is crucial. Fortunately for those of you who are approaching the end of your 4-year program eligibility window, The IIA has announced that you now have an opportunity to apply for an extension before your exam part(s) expire.

Candidates who have entered one of The IIA’s certification programs (like CIA) initially have 4 years to complete their exams and earn their certification. With this announcement from The IIA, candidates who have not successfully completed their exam(s) or have been accepted into the program but have not taken their exam(s) have the opportunity to extend their program eligibility by 12 months.

Candidates may take advantage of The IIA’s new one-time Certification Candidate Program Extension at a cost of $250 per applicant.

“My name is Jonathan, and I am a chronic test taker.” I can imagine myself standing up and saying that at some meeting for examinees anonymous. I have already taken and passed the bar exam in more than one state, and now I’m taking the CPA exams.

I’ve been working on finishing the quizzes and some of the essay questions. Coming from a legal background, I learned how to write essays a certain way. For many of the Gleim essays, this has been quite beneficial. One of the techniques I learned is called IRAC. It is pronounced like the country, but has a different spelling. IRAC stands for Issue, Rule, Analysis, and Conclusion. It’s not just a way to write the essay; it’s a way to organize your thoughts so that you can prepare a cognizant essay.

Gleim is proud to welcome EA exam candidate, Dennis F., to the Gleim blog. Dennis, who is a CPA, is taking the EA exam to gain taxation knowledge which will help him during tax season.

I am still plugging along on the business section. On my first go around with the SEE test, I did things a little different and started with Section 3. I did this because I felt my experience with the content would allow me to start from the last test and do things my way. This actually did work out pretty well, and I was able to finish the study guides in just over a month. I am not having that same luck with SEE 2. I always hear everyone say that SEE 2 is the most difficult, but I’m finding that to be an understatement. SEE 2 is by FAR the most difficult section for me. The material is extensive, and there is no way to prepare for the test without a guide. Each section is a challenge, and I can only imagine what it will be like to do an entire exam rehearsal once I get to the end. When I am struggling like this, I find that the true/false online questions are my best bet to learn the material. Rather than having to read through multiple-choice questions that are tricky, you can just guess true or false.

Sometimes, even a prepared test taker will come across a question that (s)he does not know the answer to or a question that just doesn’t make sense. In these situations, a test taker must be prepared to make an educated guess. Unfortunately, the CIA exam has many questions that are poorly worded or confusing, but don’t let that get you down! You can be prepared to make your best guess and move on, rather than getting hung up on a question and losing valuable time.

To make an educated guess, stay focused and follow these steps. First, rule out answers that are obviously wrong. Second, speculate on the IIA’s purpose and/or the rationale behind the question. If you can figure out what they want, you can more easily pinpoint the response that correctly follows the train of thought. Third, pick the best of the remaining answers. Finally, flag the question by clicking on the “Flag for Review” button in case you have time later to consider the question more thoroughly. However, unless you made an obvious mistake or computational error, try to avoid changing answers at the last minute. Your first guess is usually the most intuitive.

The most important thing to remember is to never leave a question unanswered. If you cannot make an educated guess, pick the most intuitive answer.